US Health Care Providers Research Articles

Violence in Health Care: A Practical Guide to Coping With Violence and Caring for Victims

This book, which is edited by a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Wales College of Medicine, contains chapters by psychiatrists, criminologists, a surgeon, a nurse, a lawyer, and a family practitioner. The target audience includes all health care workers who come into contact with victims of violent crime in a variety of settings, including emergency departments and community clinics within Great Britain. The handbook provides a summary of the epidemiology of violence, issues pertinent to victims, and basic guidelines for developing safe working environments within a health care setting. A clear summary describes the psychological, physical, and behavioral effects on health care providers who have been assaulted by patients. Studies described in this book were often specific to the United Kingdom, although the principles apply generally and are pertinent for US health care providers. A 1987 London study indicated that 11% of general practitioners had

How Frequently Is Emergency Contraception Prescribed?

A 1993 survey of 294 reproductive health care providers, family practitioners and emergency room physicians investigated the frequency of prescribing emergency contraception. Hormonal emergency contraception had been prescribed by respondents an average of 3.4 times in the preceding 12 months. Almost one-third of the prescriptions were for rape victims, the majority written by emergency physicians. Fifteen IUD insertions for emergency contraception were performed in the preceding year. Few respondents had ever discussed emergency contraception with patients or had literature available on the topic.

Korean women's attitudes toward pregnancy and prenatal care.

A convenience sample of 40 native-born pregnant Korean women receiving prenatal care at a U.S. military facility in a major metropolitan area in Korea completed a questionnaire about attitudes toward pregnancy and prenatal care. Responses revealed a family life characterized by positive maternal and paternal perceptions of the pregnancy and less preference for a male child than we had anticipated. Traditional beliefs in Tae Mong, a conception dream, and Tae Kyo, rituals for safe childbirth, were followed. Food taboos, including protein sources, were reported. Attitudes toward prenatal care services, care providers, and maternal health habits are described.

Attitudes toward breast-feeding and infant feeding among Iranian, Afghan, and Southeast Asian immigrant women in the United States: Implications for health and nutrition education

A nutritionist analyzed data on 150 immigrant mothers living in California but from Iran, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos who had participated in or were eligible for WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), a US supplemental food program, to examine cultural and socioeconomic factors linked with breast feeding practices. 95% of the mothers had exclusively breast fed their infants in their countries compared to 32% after they arrived in the US In fact, 85% exclusively breast fed for at least 5 months in their countries whereas only 14% did so after coming to the US Further, after immigrating to the US, 38% fed their infants both breast milk and formula. Moreover 30% only offered their infants formula. In the US, 82% of Iranian mothers exclusively breast fed their infants compared to 42% of Afghan mothers, 14% of Vietnamese mothers, 19% of Laotian mothers, and 9% of Cambodian mothers (p.00001). Iranian mothers noted societal support for breast feeding in Iran by the postrevolutionary government, by the Moslem religion, and by support groups they formed in the US Mothers who exclusively breast fed their infants reported breast feeding to be more advantageous than the other groups (p.05). The cited advantages included bonding, best food for infant, protection against infection, and successful breast feeding in the past. Mothers who partially or exclusively used formula were more likely to have returned to school, had problems with the infant's presence, consider bottle feeding to be convenient, received free formula, and state economic reasons. Further those who exclusively breast fed were more likely to 1st breast feed their infant in the delivery room than were the other mothers (p.01). These results indicated that economic reasons were the main reason for not breast feeding. Besides US health care providers in the hospital or those involved in WIC did not provide substantial support for breast feeding. Sound recommendations concluded this report.